December 14, 2006Do Administrative Assistants Have Rights?

Filed under: Ask Meryl by merylrunion |

Among my many responsibilities, I am considered the administrator in my group, and am asked to help my team members with different things like entering business cards and creating data bases. One acts like a boss who just dumps things on me. Do I have any rights to ask for favors from other team members, or as the administrative support, am I the one that helps out and doesn’t get to ask for help?

Meryl Responds

There are no rules, and it comes down to your job description and what you negotiate. It’s important for you to know what your priorities are so you can respond to requests appropriately and decline a request that interferes with your main priorities. If you are overloaded and a team member is not, it certainly makes sense that you ask for help.

In my book (literally) you have a right to be treated with respect, and you have a right to have your general workload considered when someone delegates to you. If that’s not happening, you can request that delegation take place in a more considerate way. For example, say,

I’m happy to help when you need it, but I’d rather be asked than told.

Also, reinforce any positive behavior you experience. For example, if your coworker delegates in a way that works better for you once, say, Hey, thanks for asking if I was busy before handing the work over. I appreciate that.

Positive reinforcement can be quite effective.